Sling



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES .PATENT N oral-ICE Y 2,142,643 y SLING ration of Wisconsin Q Application Februaryy 17, 1938, Serial No. 190,962

' 11 claims. y(o1. 96-25) This invention relates to a rope sling and to the method of making it. 1n generalr the invention is embodied in a sling made of wire rope,

although it might be applied to slings of othe material. It has for one object to provide a method for making -a sling from a single endless unit.

Another object is to provide a. method of forming a multi-part sling froma single endless unit.

Other objects will appear from' time to time in the course of the specification and claims.v

The invention is-illustrated more or less-diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the endless unit with parts broken away; y

Figure 2 is a plan view of the sling after it has been vmade into four members; Figure 3 is a plan View illustrating the twisting operation;

Figure 4 is' a plan View illustrating the twisting operation after it hasbeen completed upon two members and partially completed upon the other two;

` Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating the sling after the twisting of all four members has been completed; i

Figure 6 is a plan Aview illustrating the com- 80 mencing of thefolding operation and showing the sling after one member has been' folded;

Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating the completion of the folding operation with two `members 46 nating in its outer or free end in a loop.` There are thus the members I, 2, 3 and 4, each terminating in a loop Ia, 2a, 3a and 4a, respectively; As a `matter of convenience and to hold the members as arranged during thefurther forming operation, cords, Wires or similar members 5`may be secured to each pair of sling members, and one of such members is fastened to each sling part adjacent its inner-end and one to each sling part adjacent` its outer end atv which the loop or eye is formed.

With the sling arranged as shown in Figure 2, twisting may be commenced. Whilethis may be4 accomplished in many different ways, the one illustrated in Figure 3 is convenient. For that purpose, the` eyes of two opposite sling members 5 are secured on pins or other holding means 6; 6. As shown in Figure 3, the eyes 2a and 4a of the members 2 and 4 respectively are so secured. The twisting which is about to be carried out forms a plurality of rloops in the sling` parts. 10 This twisting is accomplished by passing the other parts, in this 'case the Amembers I and 3, over and under the body of the sling. For this purpose the inner fastening members 5 of the members 2 and 4 are removed. The passing over 15 and under of the members l and 3 with respect to the members 2 and 4 is completed until the latter members are twisted or looped to a point at or close to their inner end. The twisting or spiraling as shown produces an opposite lay in 20 each sling member. The member 2 is given a. left lay and the member 4 given a right lay.- If the movement of ,the members I and 3 had been' 1nr a reversed direction, the direction oi lay of the two i members 2 and 4 would be reversed, but in each 25 of the members 2 and 4 has been completed and 30 the fastenings 5 at the outer ends of ythese parts may be removed. The looping o r twisting of the other members I and 3 is now carried out in the samemanner. as that described in connection with Figure 3 for the members 2 and 4. Thus 35 the inner ties 5 of the members I and 3 are removed and the members! and 4vare passed over and under so that the sling body is twisted `or rotated and the members i and 3 thus become twisted at or close to their inner ends and they 40 also are given opposite lays. Thus the member I has a left lay and the member 2 a right lay.

As shown in Figure 5, the twisting or looping of the four members of the sling has been completed and oppositely placed members are oppo- 45 sitely layed in respect to each other.

Before braiding can commence, the four separated and now twisted or looped sling members must be brought together, and this is done by folding them toward each other. As shown in i Figure 6, the folding has commenced. The member 2, which has a left lay, has been folded under, and now lies beneath the oppositely placed member 4 which has a right lay.

As shown in Figure 7, the member I, which 56 has a left lay, has been folded over on top of the member 3, which has a right lay, and thus the sling members which, as shown in Figure 5, are placed opposite each other, have been folded so as to be associated together, members 2 and 4 being brought together and' members I and 3 being brought together. Thus when the braiding is carried out, as shown in Figure 8, the sling parts roped together properly, cross-overs .and twists are avoided and a braided sling has been made of a single'endlessunit. The direction of twist and the direction of crossing in each of the members as it extends from end to endof the completed sling is constant. No parts have been reversed. When the braiding is completed, as shown in Figure 8, the loops at both ends of the sling may be brought together to form a satisfactory eye and may be secured together in any desired manner to prevent accidental separation of the parts.

In the twisting, rotating, looping or spiraling, accomplished as shown in Figuresy and 4, or otherwise, the parts composing the members are looped, spiraled or rotated about each other in a manner which preserves the neutral axis of each individual part. While the method of spiraling shown herewith is preferred, for some purposes, other methods may be used. In one such other method the members I and 3 are turned or twisted in' such manner that the mem# bers 2 and 4 rotate and are forced to rope or spiral themselves. Whatever, the method of spiraling or twisting, each rope or part, and each member, is given a definite spiral path, in itself, before braiding into the complete sling,

vand this definite spiral path is not changed during braiding, and remains unchanged -in the completed sling.

Iclaim:

1. The process of forming a sling which includes the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, folding said twisted members together and braiding the four members together.

2. The process of forming a sling which includes the following steps: making endless a' piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, to provide in each a lay .of opposite direction to the other, folding said twisted members together and braiding the four members together, and roping together members .of identical lay in said braiding.

3. 'I'he process of forming a sling which includes thefollowing steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, of equal length, rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, folding said twisted members together and braiding the four mem-` bers together.

4. The process of forming a sling which includes the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, of equal length, secured together at their inner ends rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, folding said twisted members together and braiding the four members together.

5. The process of forming a sling which includes the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, to provide in each a lay of opposite direction to the other, folding said twisted mem bers/together, and braiding the four members together and roping together members of identical lay in said braiding, and upon completion of such braiding securing the ends of the sling to prevent -unbraiding 6. 'I'he process of formingasling which includes the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitable length, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, of equal length, rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, to provide in each a lay of opposite direction to the other, folding said twisted members together, tovform a loop at their joinedends and braiding the four members together fromr said loop toward their free ends, and roping together members of identical lay in said braiding.

k7."I'he process of forming'a sling which includes the following steps: making endless a piece of rope, of suitablelength, arranging said endless piece to provide four sling members, of equal length, secured together at their inner ends rotating or twisting oppositely positioned pairs of members, to provide in each a lay of opposite direction to the other, folding said twisted members together to form a loop at their joined ends.

and braiding the four members together from said loop `toward their free ends, and roping together members of identical lay in said braiding and upon completion of such braiding securing the ends of the sling to prevent unbraiding.

8. The process of forming from a single piece of rope a sling which comprises the `following steps: preparing a piece of rope of vsuitable length, making it endless, arranging it to provide four members, of equal length, joined together at their ends, and each terminating at its free end in a loop, applying seeming means to the parts to retain them in position, securing the loops of two' oppositely placed sling members, each on a support, using the two other sling members as a means for rotating the two secured sling members, and rotating or twisting them and, thereby,

Igiving each an opposite lay with respect to the other, after the twisting of the rst two said sling members is complete, removing them from the supports, securing the two other said sling members upon the supports and using the already twisted sling members as a means for twisting or rotating thesecond pair of sling members; after all four sling members have been twisted to provide a twist of opposite lay in each of the two pairs of sling members, folding the members together, forming a loop at their joined ends, and braiding the four members together.

9. The process of forming from a single piece of rope a sling which comprises the following steps: preparing a piece of rope of suitable length,

making it endless, arranging it to provide four members, of equal length, joined together at their ends and each terminatingat its free end in a loop, applying securing means to the members to retain them in position, securing the loops of two oppositely placed sling members, each on a support,A using the two other sling members as a means for rotating the two secured slingr members, and rotating or twisting them and, thereby, giving each an opposite lay with respect to the other, after the twisting of the first two said sling members is complete, removing them from the supports,

securing the two other said sling members upon the supports and using the already twisted sling members as a means for twisting or rotating 'the second pair of sling members; afterall four sling members have been twisted to provide a twist of opposite lay in each of the two pairs of sling members, folding the members together, forming a loon at their joined ends, and braiding the four members together, roping members of identical lay together in the braid.

l0. 'I'he process of forming from a single piece of rope a'sling which comprises the following steps: preparing a piece of rope of suitable length, making it endless, arranging it to provide four members, of equal length, joined together at their ends and each terminating at its free end in a loop, applying securing means to the members to retain them in position, securing the loops of two oppositely placed sling members, each on a support, using the two other sling members as a means for rotating the two secured sling members, and rotating or twisting them and, thereby, giving each an opposite lay with respect to the other, after the twisting of the first two said sling membersis complete, removing them from the supports, securing the two other said sling members upon the supports and using the already twisted sling parts as a means for twisting or rotating the second pair of sling members; after al1 four sling members have been twisted to provide a twist of opposite lay in each of the two pairs of sling members, folding the members together,

forming a loop at their joined ends, and braiding the four members together, roping members of identical lay together in the braid and finally bringing together the loops at the outer ends of the y four members to form a single loop and securing bers and giving to each part and to each member a definite spiral path, braiding said `members together, and retaining the said spiral paths of said parts and of said members in the completed sling.

JOSEPH M. GARRIS. 

